Verdict: A lush, sexy Victorian-Paris romance between a free-spirited Dominican heiress and a buttoned-up English businesswoman — glamorous, political, and gloriously steamy.
Best for: Readers who want high heat, opposites-attract sparks, a vibrant 1889 World’s Fair setting, and a heroine who refuses to shrink herself.
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (4/5) — explicit and passionate, with several vivid, character-driven love scenes.
Rating: ★★★★ (4.2 average across 300+ Amazon ratings — a USA Today bestselling standout in the Las Leonas series).
Tropes: Opposites attract · heiress & businesswoman · forced proximity · high heat · friends to lovers · Las Leonas #2
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera is a USA Today bestseller and one of the most vibrant, sensual entries in modern historical sapphic romance, set against the dazzle of the 1889 Paris Exposition.
What Is An Island Princess Starts a Scandal About?
Manuela Caceres Galvan, a bold Dominican heiress, has one glorious summer in Paris before she must return home to a marriage of duty. Determined to make it count — and to pursue her passion for art — she strikes a scandalous bargain with Cora Kemp Bristol, a wealthy, coolly composed Englishwoman.
What begins as a mutually convenient arrangement flares into a heated, undeniable affair. As the fair sparkles around them, Manuela and Cora must reckon with what they are willing to risk for a love that could upend both their carefully planned futures.
What Makes This Victorian Romance Work
Herrera brings glamour, politics, and real heat to the page. Here is what makes this book stand out:
- A dazzling setting. The 1889 Paris World’s Fair provides a lush, cinematic backdrop full of art, spectacle, and possibility.
- High, character-driven heat. The love scenes are explicit and passionate, and they deepen the relationship rather than pause it.
- Opposites-attract fireworks. Manuela’s fire against Cora’s cool control makes for irresistible tension.
- Women with ambitions. Both leads have careers, art, and business at stake, giving the romance real-world weight.
- A diverse, political heart. Herrera weaves in colonialism, class, and identity without slowing the romance.
Book Synopsis
Manuela wants art, freedom, and one unforgettable season before duty calls her home. Cora wants control, discretion, and to protect the empire she has built. Their bargain is supposed to be simple — and it is anything but.
As their affair intensifies against the backdrop of the World’s Fair, both women find their carefully laid plans threatened by feelings neither anticipated. The question becomes whether they can build a future bold enough to hold them both.
My Review
This is the book to reach for when you want your historical romance glamorous, steamy, and full of life. Herrera writes Paris as a character in its own right, and the 1889 fair gives the whole story a shimmer that suits its bold, passionate leads perfectly.
Manuela is a joy — vivid, headstrong, and unapologetic about wanting more than the life laid out for her. Cora’s icy composure makes her the ideal counterpoint, and watching her thaw is enormously satisfying. Their chemistry is electric, and the heat is genuinely high.
What elevates it beyond a sexy romp is how seriously Herrera takes her heroines’ ambitions and the politics of their world. The romance never feels weightless; there are real stakes to choosing each other.
My honest note: If you want a high-heat, glamorous, politically engaged sapphic historical with two fierce, fully realized heroines, this is a standout.
| Element | In An Island Princess Starts a Scandal |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Manuela Caceres Galvan (Dominican heiress) & Cora Kemp Bristol (English businesswoman) |
| Core tropes | Opposites attract, forced proximity, high heat, friends to lovers |
| Setting | Victorian Paris — the 1889 World’s Fair |
| Heat level | 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (4/5) — explicit and passionate |
| Series | Las Leonas #2 (reads well alone) |
| Content notes | Colonialism, class and racial dynamics, family pressure |
How Spicy Is An Island Princess Starts a Scandal?
This is a high-heat romance. Expect several explicit, passionate love scenes that are woven tightly into the emotional arc — the intimacy is a driver of the relationship, not a diversion from it.
If you love your historicals sensual and bold, this hits the mark; if you prefer closed-door, this one runs hot.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want high heat, glamorous settings, opposites-attract sparks, ambitious heroines, and a diverse, politically aware historical.
You may want to skip it if: you prefer low spice, quieter stories, or a slower literary pace — this one is bold and steamy.
In short: a dazzling, high-heat sapphic historical with two unforgettable leads and a shimmering Parisian backdrop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read A Caribbean Heiress in Paris first?
No. This is a standalone with its own leads, though book one of Las Leonas adds lovely context to the friend group.
Is there a happy ending?
Yes — a satisfying, hard-won happily-ever-after for Manuela and Cora.
How explicit is it?
High heat — several explicit, character-driven love scenes.
Is it just romance, or is there more?
There is more — art, ambition, colonial politics, and identity all feature, giving the romance real depth.
Is it truly a sapphic romance?
Yes. It is billed and written as a sapphic romance, with two women at its heart.
If You Loved An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, Read These Next
If Herrera’s glamorous, steamy, political style thrilled you, explore more like it in our full guide to historical sapphic romance. Fans often continue with the rest of the Las Leonas series next.
For similar high-heat, richly drawn historicals, try the other Las Leonas books and bold, sensual sapphic romances in the same vein.
The Bottom Line
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is a lush, steamy, politically engaged Victorian romance with two fierce heroines and a dazzling Paris setting. If you want glamour and heat, it is well worth it. Check An Island Princess Starts a Scandal on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
We score every book across eight dimensions to show exactly where it shines. Here is how An Island Princess Starts a Scandal performs on the Eikna scorecard.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall — ★★★★ 4.2/5
- ✓ USA Today bestseller
- ✓ Glamorous and steamy
- ✓ Politically engaged
- ✓ A vibrant standout
Romance — ★★★★ 4.3/5
- ✓ Electric opposites-attract heat
- ✓ Fierce, ambitious leads
- ✓ High-stakes affair
- ✓ A satisfying HEA
Characters — ★★★★½ 4.4/5
- ✓ Manuela is bold and vivid
- ✓ Cora is cool and compelling
- ✓ Rich supporting cast
- ✓ Fully realized ambitions
Writing — ★★★★ 4.2/5
- ✓ Lush, cinematic prose
- ✓ Vivid Paris atmosphere
- ✓ Confident pacing
- ✓ Sensory and immersive
Emotional Impact — ★★★★ 4.1/5
- ✓ Real stakes in choosing love
- ✓ Themes with weight
- ✓ Heartfelt beneath the glamour
- ✓ A rewarding payoff
Heat Level — ★★★★ 4.0/5
- ✓ Explicit and passionate
- ✓ Several vivid scenes
- ✓ Character-driven intimacy
- ✓ Runs genuinely hot
Ending — ★★★★ 4.2/5
- ✓ Hard-won, satisfying HEA
- ✓ Ambitions honored
- ✓ Threads resolved
- ✓ Leaves you glowing
Re-read Value — ★★★★ 4.1/5
- ✓ Glamorous comfort read
- ✓ Re-read for the heat
- ✓ Dazzling setting
- ✓ A sensual keeper
Leave a Reply